{"id":413900,"date":"2017-09-03T01:11:06","date_gmt":"2017-09-03T01:11:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ghana-mma.com\/2017\/09\/03\/effective-public-procurement-regime-could-have-prevented-ssnit-waste-bins-rot-experts\/"},"modified":"2017-09-03T01:11:06","modified_gmt":"2017-09-03T01:11:06","slug":"effective-public-procurement-regime-could-have-prevented-ssnit-waste-bins-rot-experts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2017\/09\/03\/effective-public-procurement-regime-could-have-prevented-ssnit-waste-bins-rot-experts\/","title":{"rendered":"Effective public procurement regime could have prevented SSNIT, waste bins rot \u2013 Experts"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Mr Sarpong (middle) flanked by host of PM Express, Nana Ansah Kwao (L) and Simon Annan, Vice President of Chartered Institute of Procurement and Supply<\/p>\n

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President of the Ghana Institute of Procurement and Supply, Collins Sarpong, wants the government to review and improve the recognition given to procurement experts at public institutions.<\/p>\n

Mr Sarpong notes for instance that procurement persons are given lower ranked appoints at public institutions, making them susceptible to being sidelined when the need for critical decisions arise.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo Procurement Person is a director [of a public institution]. A procurement decision is taken at the highest level, it is brought down and it is carried out, money goes,\u201d he said on PM Express on the Joy News channel on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

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\"Collins<\/p>\n

Photo: Collins Sarpong<\/b><\/p>\n

Mr. Sarpong was reacting to recent revelations that the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) spent some $72 million in the procurement of an Operational Business Suite (OBS) when it could have procured a lower cost.<\/p>\n

Also, a Joy News investigation that revealed that the Local Government Ministry procured waste bins for district assemblies when those it had ordered a year ago had not been distributed has also been blamed partly on poor procurement regime.<\/p>\n

Mr. Sarpong notes that one of the effective ways to gag corruption that occurs through public procurement was for the government to institute and champion an effective public procurement regime.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only way an MP, a Minister or a DCE can take money from their outfit is through procurement…so if you leave procurement in limbo and the people are not [empowered] to say whatever, we will continue to have what we are having,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Watch the full programme in the video below.<\/p>\n